


The Care and Keeping of Red Him

by Badwolf36



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bizarro Is a Good Bro, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 13:49:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14333787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badwolf36/pseuds/Badwolf36
Summary: “Me am Outlaw,” Bizarro says quietly. “We team. Team help team.”





	The Care and Keeping of Red Him

Bizarro wakes up because he can hear Red Him’s heartbeat going _thuddy thud thud_ in his ears.

Sitting up in his bed, he hugs Pup-Pup’s red-and-blue costumed form closer to the gray sweatshirt fabric covering his chest. Listening carefully, like Red Her taught him to, Bizarro seeks out Red Him’s sounds.

His breathing is bad-wrong, to go with his _thuddy-thud_ heart, and he’s making a weird groany noise.

Bizarro doesn’t hear anyone else in the base but Red Him, so he doesn’t spring through the wall to save him.

( _“It’s perfectly acceptable to use doors, Biz.”_

_“Says the man whose preferred form of entry is the window.”_

_“Shut up, Artemis. It’s do as I say, not as I do.”_ )

Red Him _is_ hurting though, and that makes Bizarro’s insides feel mixed up.

He gets out of bed, clutching Pup-Pup to him. Red Him’s room is down the hall from his. Shuffling closer, he cringes as a muffled scream starts and then quickly cuts off. He waits for Red Her to come out of her room, but then remembers she said she was giving something to Sky Lady tonight.

( _“It’s only proper to offer my thanks to the gods during the full moon, Jason. Particularly my namesake.”_

 _“I get it, I get it. But if you wanted to howl at the moon naked, you could at least invite meeeeeowowowowowowowowow! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”_ )

Bizarro looks down at Pup-Pup. The plushie’s kind face looks back up with him, tiny stitched smile encouraging him. Reminded that even Pup-Pup, the _real_ Pup-Pup, is on a team, Bizarro takes a deep breath.

“Me am Outlaw,” he says quietly. “We team. Team help team.”

With that, he turns the shiny metal doorknob and opens the door to Red Him’s room.

Red Him’s breath is all funny, hard and fast. He’s sitting up in bed, shirtless upper half curled over his knees. His blue covers are all twisted up around him. He’s shivering hard, occasionally jerking like he’s being hit by someone.

“Red Him?” Bizarro whispers.

Red Him freezes. He rubs his face against the blanket over his knees before looking up.

“Hey, Biz. Can’t sleep?” He’s smiling, but his voice is all strange.

“Red Him okay?”

Red Him wipes his hand across his eyes quickly.

“Yeah, big guy. I’m fine.”

( _“I’m fine.”_

_“You know what fine means, right, Artemis? Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.”_

_“Quaint, Jason. Very quaint.”_ )

“Red Him doesn’t have to lie,” Bizarro says quietly.

Red Him’s eyes go wide with surprise.

“And what makes you think I’m lying?” Red Him doesn’t sound mad, but he doesn’t sound as happy as he normally does when helping Bizarro learn something either.

“Yelled. Crying. Sad.” Bizarro looks down at Pup-Pup’s happy face so he doesn’t have to look at Red Him. “Nightmare.”

“Oh,” Red Him says, then sighs. There’s a soft thump, and a few seconds later, a pair of white socked feet and the hems of loose black sweatpants come into Bizarro’s view. Red Him’s hand grips his forearm, but Bizarro refuses to look up. “Biz, I’m sorry.”

“Why Red Him sorry?” he says to the feet.

“You…you were right. I did have a nightmare. A…a really bad memory. And I’ve…maybe I’ve gotten too used to just lying about when I’m not okay. So, I’m sorry I lied to you. You were just concerned, right?”

“Me care about Red Him and Red Her.”

“And we care about you too, buddy. I’m not mad that you care. I’m just disappointed that _he still_ …that dreams still affect me so badly. Silly, huh?”

“Red Him not silly. Red Him strong. But not have to be strong all the time.” Bizarro raises his head. Red Him’s face looks like someone punched him in the gut again - surprised and a little pained.

“Yeah,” Red Him says, soft and considering. “You nailed it.”

Bizarro considers the plushie between his hands before offering it to Red Him.

“Pup-Pup can help.”

Red Him’s fingers skate over Pup-Pup’s dark felt hair before he pushes the toy back toward Bizarro.

“You keep him, Biz. But I appreciate the offer.”

“Okay.”

Red Him walks back toward his bed and taps the phone sitting on the dark wooden nightstand so it lights up. Bizarro can see his frown in the soft light.

“4:23 a.m.” He looks back at Bizarro. “You going back to bed?” Bizarro shakes his head. He knows, without knowing how, that Red Him won’t go back to sleep no matter what he answers. Red Him sighs. “Thought so.”

He grabs his red hoodie from the back of his desk chair and pulls it on. When his head pops out, he has a smile on his face. Bizarro is pleased to see it there, even if it’s small.

“I got an idea. I’m pretty sure we have all the ingredients to make Alfie’s Famous Buttermilk Pancakes. Want to help me? We can surprise Artemis when she gets back.”

“Me can whisk!” Bizarro says, eager to show off one of the new skills his teammates have taught him.

Red Him’s heart is still _thuddy-thud_ , but it’s slowing down to a nicer _thumpy-thump_.

“Sounds like a great plan, buddy.” Red Him hesitates for a moment, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. Then he shakes his head and claps his hands together, like he does sometimes when they’re out on a mission and he’s decided on a plan. “Yeah, yeah. Breakfast. Let’s make breakfast.”

“Maybe Red Him can take a nap later. Me and Pup-Pup will protect you.”

Red Him looks surprised, then pleased.

“I may take you up on that,” he says. He reaches up to rest a hand on Bizarro’s shoulder. “Hey, want to learn how to make fresh-squeezed orange juice this time?”

Bizarro smiles, throwing an arm around Red Him and pulling him into a half-hug as they start toward the kitchen.

“Bizarro wants to learn.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this story!


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